Translator – Xiao He Lian
This is a translation hosted on KnoxT, copies found elsewhere are either stolen or plagiarized. Please support the translator by reading it at KnoxT.
Chapter 48.2
Shen Shu straightened her back, looked at him, and said word by word: “Where have you been?”
“I hate your condescending attitude.” He raised his hand and pinched her chin, “When you were having, you looked like this. I used to wonder if you were doing it out of pity ?”
After all, they had been a loving couple for four years, and no matter how angry Shen Shu was, she still regarded his words as words of a drunk person.
Shen Shu waved away the hands that were on her and then said: “You never used to drink? Li Di, why are you so drunk?”
“Heh” Li Di staggered and said, “They say that people can tell the truth after drinking, so do you think I dare to drink?”
Shen Shu’s face was as cold as ice, and she noticed something was wrong, and said, “Do you have something to say to me?”
Li Di smiled and said, “The Shen family has fallen, why are you still pretending? I, Li Di, have never had anything to do with you.”
Shen Shu disdains talking to a drunkard.
She kept her expression as usual and walked out without saying a word.
It was only later that she realized that every word Li Di said that night was not drunken talk.
He indeed has nothing to do with her. He was once married to his cousin in Jingzhou.
Not betrothed, but married.
His first wife, He Wanru, became lame when she was fourteen years old in order to save his mother.
He left He Wanru in Jingzhou for the sake of his career and used various means to erase this past.
After Shen Shu understood everything, she got up and went to her mother-in-law Wen Shi to ask for her dowry.
She would not let Shen Zhen bear the debts of the Shen family.
Not surprisingly, the mother-in-law who was usually very kind to her suddenly changed her attitude.
“Shen Shu, you are already the wife of my Li family. The things you brought in will naturally bear the surname Li. My son is currently in his promotion period, so you can’t just drag him down! We, the Li family, have no obligations to look after your younger siblings!”
Shameless.
This was the first word that Shen Shu thought of.
Shen Shu sat down facing Madam Wen and laughed angrily: “Mother-in-law is holding onto my dowry so you can ask Li Di to marry his cousin from the He family?”
Wen Shi panicked, “What did you say?”
Shen Shu picked up the tea on the side and took a sip. Her face showed the calmness of a noble lady, “It’s not easy for him to climb to this position, but if I want him to taste the experience of climbing high just to fall down, it’s not impossible. “
Wen Shi slapped the table and said angrily: “What do you want to do?”
“My dowry.” Shen Shu raised her head and whispered: “As long as my mother-in-law is willing to return my dowry to me, then I will give up the position of Li’s main wife to his cousin from the He family. How about that?”
Madam Wen’s hands trembled, “You dare to threaten me? Shen Shu, it is already a matter of utmost benevolence and righteousness for our Li family to keep you as a criminal family member. Is this how you repay me?”
The eldest lady of the Shen family was proud and noble, once she became ruthless, ten Madam Wens was not a match for her.
“Criminal family?” Shen Yan’s beautiful eyes were full of smiles, “In the end, your Li family is a poor family. A poor family that is used to the days of wind and rain. They are afraid of poverty and will be blinded by wealth and prosperity. Is your daughter-in-law’s dowry is also worth holding as a treasure?”
Madam Wen was so angry that her whole body was shaking.
Shen Chen knows too well how to break Madam Wen.
Since she moved to the capital, her mother-in-law was most afraid of people mentioning her past. She deliberately imitated the clothes of the noble ladies, forced herself to change her Jingzhou accent and from time to time had to talk to madams from other families while drinking tea and reciting poetry together.
During this period, needless to say how much of a joke she became.
Shen Shu took off her peacock gold hairpin that not even a merchant would wear, held Madam Wen’s hand and spoke in the capital dialect. Fearing she will offend Madam Wen’s fragile self-esteem, she patiently made tea for her every day, every process being done particularly slowly.
She didn’t dare to be Mdam Wen’s teacher, so she could only influence her in this way.
But in the end, what did she get in exchange?
Madam Wen’s lips were trembling, pointed at Shen Shu’s face with her index finger and said, “You have been married to our Li family for five years and you couldn’t even get pregnant. You dare to say anything to me? I will tell my son to divorce you! I’ll kick you out now and let’s see where else you can go!”
“Huh.” There was a smile on Shen Shu’s lips, “If he wants to divorce me, he will have to go to court. At that time, you can ask the Governor of Jingzhao Prefecture to judge whether it is a serious crime to contradict my mother-in-law or a serious crime to abandon your wife to marry someone else?”
Seeing the change in Madam Wen’s eyes, Shen Shu continued: “If the world knows that he first married the daughter of the He family, then falsified the household registration, and then came to the Shen family asking for marriage, then I’m afraid Lord Li’s career will come to an end.”
“Shut up!” Madam Wen said again.
Shen Shu sneered: “You dare to do such shameless things?”
As soon as Shen Shu finished speaking, Madam Wen covered her temples and bent over in pain.
There was obviously no mirror in front of Shen Shu, so she didn’t see Li Di standing behind her.
“Mother!” Li Di quickly stepped forward to support Madam Wen, turned back and angrily yelled at Shen Shu: “You shrew! Who gave you the courage?”
Shen Shu turned around and left.
She thought he just had someone else he loved, but she didn’t expect that he also had no conscience.
On the twentieth of the ninth month, the news that Li Di was promoted to Minister of Industry spread throughout the capital.
After hearing this, Shen Shu almost laughed out loud.
The moon stopped on the treetops, and she deliberately left a light on.
She knew that that person would definitely come back tonight.
Li Di pushed open the door to the inner room and saw Shen Shu sitting on the couch.
That charming little face was full of anger.
Shen Shuo stepped forward, raised his hand and slapped him, “Let me ask you, do you have anything to do with the sudden collapse of the Chengxi Canal? Did you send the letter I gave you?”
Li Di touched his face and replied: “I burned that letter.”
“What about the Chengxi Canal?!”
“I have nothing to say.”
Shen Shu picked up the cup on the table and threw it at him. With red eyes, she broke down and said, “That is my Shen family! I, Shen Yan! What have I done to you?”
Li Di wiped off the water stains on his body, looked at Shen Shu and said: “Shen Shu, there are always winners and losers in party struggles. My father-in-law has put all his wealth on the dying crown prince. He has no way to survive. He will be sentenced to two years in prison, and if he can keep his life, you should be satisfied.”
Shen Shu’s nails slowly dug into her flesh, and she suppressed all her anger, “Li Di, I have been married to you for four years, and I think I have never done anything wrong to you! Give me my dowry , the matter between you and the daughter of the He family will rot in my stomach for the rest of my life, I will divorce you and make room for her.”
Li Di looked down at Shen Shu, “You are not qualified to negotiate terms with me.”
Shen Shu said: “Li Di, I will fight to the death with you.”
Li Di looked into her eyes and said, “Do you know why Lu Si from the Imperial Academy resigned as soon as something happened to the Shen family?”
Shen Shu clenched her fists, wondering why he mentioned Uncle Lu.
Li Di leaned over and whispered in her ear: “The year I married you, I shouldn’t have been selected as a candidate of the imperial examination, but my father-in-law was reluctant to marry you to me who had no fame, so he colluded with examiner Lu Si.”
Shen Shu pushed him away, “Are you crazy? My father wouldn’t do such a thing!”
Li Di took her waist and continued: “Listen to me. The year I took the imperial examination, the Emperor created a name system to prevent cheating. My father-in-law had no choice but to have me write an article in advance and stuff it into Lord Lu’s sleeve.”
Shen Shu went stiff all over.
“On the day of the imperial examination, I wrote the article that I could almost recite backwards and as expected I was named the best candidate in the imperial examination. Shen Shu, do you understand? This is your good father bending the law for personal gain.”
“Do you have any conscience?” Shen Shu glared at him.
Li Di smiled, “Don’t even think about divorcing me and don’t even think about getting money out of the Li family. If something goes wrong, at most I won’t be able to serve as an official, but my father-in-law won’t be able to come out again. Shen Shu, you also have to think about Shen Hong.”
“According to the laws of the Jin Dynasty, anyone who participates in cheating in the imperial examination will be forbidden to participate in the imperial examinations for three generations of the family. Shen Shu, do you want the Shen family to be completely destroyed in your hands?”
…
After returning from her thoughts, Shen Shu grabbed Qingli’s hand and said, “Qingli, let’s go to the West Market tomorrow.”
Qingli said: “Is Madam really willing to take action?”
Shen Shu said quietly: “The love is long gone.”
T/N – Okay, I haven’t hated a character as much as I hate Li Di. I want to beat him up.
